Happy Last Friday of February!

Dear 2B Families,

I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend! It gave me a chance to grade our Magic Tree House Book Reports! Those can be found in your scholar's Friday Folder along with their recitation grade of Smart by Shel Silverstein. Thank you for your patience with those! I really can't believe it's almost March! Where has the time gone in 2017? Are you counting down the days to Spring Break yet? 

Don't forget that our next Book Reports are due on March 6th. Those were The Boxcar Children series chapter book or A-Z Mysteries (depending on what your scholar was assigned). Your scholar will also recite The Preamble next week. The link has a recording of the class saying The Preamble together. Please ask your child to recite it in the car for you :-).

A few fun things to share...

When your children had a half day on February 10th Mrs. Lacsa and I had the pleasure to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens for our Spring Inservice. Thank you Great Hearts! It was a beautiful day!

Funny picture to share! One day Ms. Spriggs, Mrs. Cook, and I all showed up wearing clothes with flowers! It was not planned and we received many comments about it :-).

We loved Spirit Wear Day today...will I see everyone at the Fun Run tomorrow? I hope so!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

I must say, it's pretty neat that when you're in the middle of "silent work" or some other activity like eating snack or enjoying Friendship Floats at Great Hearts Day that your class just suddenly bursts out into songs they've learned with Mrs. Kaye during Music class. It truly warms my heart and I LOVE to hear these little ones sing. Don't you? They sound beautiful! I got CHILLS at the last Assembly hearing their voices fill the gym with You're a Grand Ole Flag.  I have to give credit to Mrs. Kaye for the beautiful work she does with these scholars. Here is a recording of 2B singing acapella style The Battle Hymn of the Republic the other week ~ they just started to randomly sing with no prompt at all ~ I loved it and I wonder who is starting it too :-)!

Upcoming Events:
Saturday, Feb 25: Family Fun Run & Picnic ~ Will Paisley and I see you there? I hope so!
Monday, Feb 27: Phoenix Symphony at School *Please remind your child about theatre etiquette and how they should act while enjoying the performance.
Friday, March 3: Movie Night & Uniform Exchange
Monday, March 6: BINGO Book Reports Due
Friday, March 10: Chargers Night at the Soda Shop
March 13-20: Spring Break, R&R
Thursday, March 30: Chargers Night at Chipotle

Curriculum Next Week:

French: Your scholar should have their French notebook this weekend and study for their test on Tuesday over ~ Les couleurs & Les nombres ~ Please also remind them how precious Madame's time is with us and we need to be super scholars during her class time.


Language Arts: Please send in a copy of Sarah, Plain and Tall for your scholar to read. We will dive into new vocabulary, like what is a hearthstone, and what it means to be feisty. We will also discuss why Sarah feels like a move is necessary, and why Pa places an advertisement in the newspaper! Be sure to ask your literature experts for the answers to these questions.  

In grammar we will continue to classify sentences and even start making our own sentences when given a list of parts of speech.


In spelling we are still working hard on our beautiful cursive, and are tackling some challenging spelling words this week!
Spalding Words:
Monday: creature, curtain, declared, declare, distance, distant, explain, floated, ghost, holiday, holy
Tuesday: knee, lemon, lying, lie, nails, needle, nobody, oar, palace
Wednesday: penny, regular, repeats, sailor, sentence, shining, shine, surface, sweeping, sweeps

Math: Next week we are working on making change! We will be working hard on picking different menu items and paying for them, while doing mental math in our heads to make change! We will continue to work on attacking word problems, focusing on multistep word problems, for example if I buy 4 pens that cost $1.40 each, and give the cashier $10.00 how much change will I receive? If students get step 1 incorrect, it sets them up to do poorly on step 2!

History: We will review and take our test over The Constitution. Our scholars will dive into a brief study of what some refer to as the second war of independence: The War of 1812. Ask your scholar to identify key points for the Merchant's and War Hawk's views.


Science: Simple Machines will continue through taking a closer look at inclined planes, wedges and screws. We will do a few hands on experiments to explore how these simple machines work. We will also be sending home a "Simple Machines Scavenger Hunt" for scholars to find examples of simple machines at their house.


Cheesy Science Joke ~ What did the tree say to the wedge? ~ I'm stumped! Hehe ;-)

Love,
Mrs. Dombrowski

Fun-Filled Week!

Dear 2B Families,

WOW! What a busy week! Between a Fire Drill, Great Hearts Day, Class Pictures, and Field Day we have been quite busy!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy Birthday to Ryken (2/13)! Thanks for bringing in a fun treat for the class.

Congratulations Beatrice for your Humility virtue award.

Pictures from Great Hearts Day...Thanks to the moms who helped with our celebration in the afternoon! We wrote kind notes to other scholars, shared Friendship Floats, and made Friendship Necklaces that represented virtues we see in each other.

Field Day Pictures..."We are THEBES and we're ready to COMPETE!"

Something FUN to share! One of my former 2nd Grade students (who is now a Freshman in High School) volunteered at Field Day today! Check out this "Flashback Friday" picture when Mrs. Lacsa, Tori, and I were together in 2009!

Upcoming Events:
There is No School on Monday 2/20 and it's also R&R Weekend ~ No Homework this weekend
Thursday, Feb 23: Healthy Snack Day (Dairy)
Friday, Feb 24: Spirit Wear Day
Saturday, Feb 25: Fun Run & Family Picnic (Mrs. Dombrowski and Paisley will be participating in the 1.5 mile and we hope to see you there!)
Monday, Feb 27: Phoenix Symphony

Curriculum Next Week:


Language Arts: See if your scholar can recite The Preamble to the Constitution by Gouverneur Morris. We will start reciting this in front of the class the week of February 27. Can they tell you what "Two Heads Are Better Than One" means? We also learned a new saying, "Better late than never!" We will read a tall tale and discuss the components of a tall tale, and how that differs from a fairy tale. 

Writing and Grammar: We will continue to diagram sentences. The scholars are doing GREAT with this skill and can diagram sentences with TWO prepositions.

Spalding Words Next Week:
Tuesday: truly, true, whole, hole, address, request, raise, August, struck, getting, get
Wednesday: don't = do not, Thursday, Saturday, admission, canoe, captain, cautious, caution, cellar, covered

Literature: We have concluded our reading of The Cricket in Times Square. Please send your scholar in with their copy of Sarah, Plain and Tall. We will begin reading that the week of February 27th. 

Math: We are learning about MONEY! Coins, dollars, change, oh my! We will work on reviewing coin value, adding two prices together, as well as attacking work problems. When purchasing something talk to your child about the cost, and ask what the cost would be if the item were 10 cents, or 2 dollars more! Mental math is still a strategy we are working to strengthen!

History: We will continue our studies of the Constitution through looking more closely at the Preamble. Can your scholar tell you about James Madison and The Bill of Rights?

Science: We are moving on from learning about how our human body works as a machine to learning about simple machines! Can your scholar identify simple machines at home or around their community? We are excited to embark on this hands-on unit!

Love,
Mrs. Dombrowski

Fabulous February!

Dear 2B Families,

We are trucking right along in the 3rd quarter and doing great! Please don't forget about some important events next week:

Tuesday, February 14: Great Hearts Day
Thursday, February 16: Class Pictures

Friday, February 17: Field Day ~ Our Greek City State is THEBES and our color is YELLOW! Please wear a YELLOW shirt. Students may decorate their shirts with their team name and/or symbol of their Greek City State.   Students should wear athletic clothing free of pop culture references.  Sports team and brand logos are acceptable on clothing.  Athletic shoes are mandatory (any color).  Hats and sunglasses may be worn.  Sunscreen must be applied at home.  Please see pg. 52 in the family handbook for more detailed information. NO lunch is offered on Field Day so please PACK a lunch Friday!

Thebes

The links have a sign up genius if you wish to volunteer/bring something check them out!

Wish List: Several scholars are missing their scissors and we are also fresh out of glue sticks. If you are able to donate these items we would greatly appreciate it! 

New Book Reports: Great job on the Magic Tree House "Hand" reports! Your scholar received either a Boxcar Children book or A-Z Mysteries. Our next report is this BINGO board. Please let me know if you have questions! These will be due March 6th.

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Check out our amazing and awesome mathematicians! They are working SO hard with multiplication and division!

Announcements from our Room Moms:

We are still in need of volunteers for Athletic field day: 
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4fadac2ca4fc1-athletichttp://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8af2e5-2bathletic
Also, here is the March lunch volunteer sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0544a8a629a6fe3-march2
An order form went home for families to purchase a School Spirit Shirt that can be worn on February 24th. Though we need to have ALL orders in by February 10th, so we are asking you forward this to families, with a subject line of "ORDER YOUR SPIRIT SHIRT BY FEBRUARY 10th"
No online payments accepted, only cash or check with order form.
Below is a sizing chart to also send with the order form.

Curriculum Next Week:

Spalding: Next week we will learn CURSIVE! The students are SO excited to start on the adventure. We were fortunate enough to have an introduction lesson from Mrs. Clouse on Thursday. Did your scholar come home telling you about it? Here is a picture:

We will not have spelling words next week and Spalding homework will be to practice cursive letter formation. A packet will be coming home Monday night for parental reference as well. As we move forward students will choose whether they want to write in cursive or manuscript, but Mrs. Lacsa and I will switch to writing in cursive. In third grade they will have a cursive refresher at the beginning of the year, but will be expected to be able to read cursive from the get-go! 

Literature: We will finish up Cricket in Times Square! It has been so wonderful to watch the students fall in love with the characters. 

Grammar: We will continue to diagram sentences and work on writing paragraphs.

Math: We will finish up our unit on multiplication and division with a test on Thursday. Wednesday math centers and Wednesday night homework will provide great review and practice for our test on Thursday. On Friday, the students will be introduced to our new unit: MOENY! We will review of coins and their value.

History: We will continue learning about the formation of our Constitution by learning about James Madison, the Bill of Rights, and we will recognize the opening words of the Constitution through looking at and reciting the Preamble. Please help me with this recitation at home! It was sent home in my folder on Wednesday.

Science: Next week we will review and take our test over the Human Body. Please help your scholar review their study guide at home and ask them to tell you how much they remember about each body system, healthy eating, cells, tissues, and organs!

Love,
Mrs. Dombrowski

Welcome February!

Dear 2B Families, 

Welcome February! As one of the scholars asked me this week, "Mrs. Dombrowski, WHY does it feel like SUMMER outside?! It's SO HOT!!!" I guess that cold front is behind us! Another rough week for our Arizona Winter I suppose!

Our newest virtue of the month is FRIENDSHIP! Thanks for talking to your scholar at home about how to show friendship.

Thank you to everyone who helped with Greek Fest today!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy Birthday Vincent (Today, February 3rd)! He also brought donuts for the class today! How fun! Thank you, Vincent!

Jocelyn noticed a book (The Republic of Plato) that her mom had on the bookshelf. We've been learning about Ancient Greece and 3 great thinkers - Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Thank you for making this awesome connection to our learning Jocelyn!

Your kiddos did a great job with MAP Testing this week! They are becoming more familiar with working on the laptops and they are learning more about testing with technology. 

School-Wide Announcements:

Clubs: Club opportunities are still available for families interested in placing their children in an afterschool club. If you would like to sign your child up, please go to ArchwayArete.Configio.com. 
Mondays: K-5th Grade Passport ClubTuesday: 4th-5th Grade Choir Club, 2nd-3rd Grade Art Club, 3rd-5th Grade Book ClubThursday: 3rd-5th Grade Beginning Instruments Club, 3rd-5th Grade French ClubFriday: 2nd-3rd Grade Mallet Masters, 3rd-5th Grade Sports and Activity Club

Toys: In keeping with our aim to nurture a love of intellectual and moral virtue in our students we are asking that all toys be left at home. While playing with toys can be a relaxing healthy pass time for children, having toys at school, that are not part of the academic program, can be distracting. We would like to mention, specifically, Pokemon cards and Gogos as these have been the fad of late. Please refer to pg. 42 in the Arete Family Handbook for more information about prohibited items.

Great Hearts Day & Field Day: Please make sure to read our post about Great Hearts Day and Field Day! Here is a sign up link to donate items for Great Hearts Day. Here is a sign up link to donate items for Field Day.

Curriculum Next Week:

*Don't forget that BOOK REPORTS (Hand Reports for the assigned Magic Tree House) are due back on Monday!*

*Students will be assessed on their recitation for SMART by Shel Silverstein next week*

Language Arts: Next week we will look at direct and indirect quotations in the story The Hare that Ran Away. In Grammar we will also continue studying pronouns and subject pronouns, as well as classifying sentences. The students are doing such a wonderful job classifying sentences, and can go through the question and answer flow of a sentence independently and confidently! Stay tuned for video evidence! In Literature we will read chapters 10-13 in Cricket in Times Square and continue to follow the adventure of Chester Cricket, Tucker Mouse, and Harry Cat!

Spalding Words:
Monday: slide, farther, duty, intend, company, quite, quit, quiet, none, knew, know
Tuesday: remain, direct, direction, appear, liberty, enough, fact, board, September, station
Wednesday: attend, public, music, picnic, friend, friends, endure, during, police, until

Math: In math next week we will work through division problems and fact families! We will discuss different ways to attack a division problem, including repeated subtraction, drawing pictures, and thinking of the “friend” multiplication problem. Students are loving this unit!

History: We will not only journey to another place, but a much later time in history to discuss the American Constitution. Challenge your scholar to make connections between the US and the Ancient Greek democracies.


Science: Next week we will review the functions of our body systems and learn ways we can help make sure that our body systems continue to run smoothly so we can stay healthy. We will also learn a new word: calories! We will spend time reviewing ALL of the concepts we have learned in our Human Body Unit through playing a fun review game. A study guide will be sent home with your scholar on Thursday night. We encourage you to read through it and ask your scholar to retell some of the things they learned.

Love,
Mrs. Dombrowski